What is the Role of Women in Ministry and Leadership?

Back in the spring, we presented a teaching on the role of women in ministry. In some circles of Christianity this in a none-issue, in others, this has been a controversial topic for many years. Central to the subject, is what is the "role" of women within the church, particularly in the context of leadership.

Does Scripture permit them to teach in venues other than Sunday School?

Does Scripture prohibit more?

The teaching endeavors to look through Scripture for some clear answers to these questions, as well as exactly we read and interpret Scripture to find such answers this question and others like it.

Several have asked for a downloadable version of that teaching. Though the quality isn't the greatest, the following is a link to download both the audio and notes of the teaching.

Learning to Hear God with Your Hands

One afternoon, a number of years ago, while walking across a college campus, I prayed,

"God, I want to hear your voice." It seemed like a simple enough prayer to pray and as far as I knew, I was sincere in my asking.

However, the response I immediately heard back from God surprised me. No sooner had I prayed these words, than I heard the phrase,

"No you don't..."

"Yes, I really do." I responded.

"No, you don't..." God replied once more.

At this point, I thought it wise to stop arguing with God and begin inquiring what He meant by this.

I sensed the following dialogue begin to transpire.

"When the students on this campus go to class, what do they do?"

This was simple, I thought, "Take notes."

"Why?"

"Well, for starters, they're going to be tested on what is being presented by the instructor. Secondly, assuming that they are taking the class for some intrinsic reason greater than academic calisthenics of working their way through the hoops of academia, I imagine they are interested in the subjects at hand and esteem the instructor to be an expert in their field, thus what they have to say is of great value to them and their future."

To which God simply responded, "If students value what these professors say with such note taking diligence, how much more esteemed should My words of instruction be...?"

Out of this conversation, I sensed God saying to me, that He would begin to teach me to hear His voice. It would be with my hands writing, that I would begin to discern His voice more clearly. If I truly treasured what He had to say, I would be diligent in writing it down.

That day, I went out and purchased a journal and began the journey of praying, dialoguing and processing what God was saying and doing in my life. It has been a remarkable journey...

This is what God said to Habakkuk,

"I will stand at my watchand station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint.

Then the Lord replied: “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tabletsso that a herald may run with it."
(Habbakuk 2:1-2)

Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God

Every month Christian Audio sponsors a free audio book download.

This month's feature is Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God by Francis Chan.

"The God of the universe is crazy about you! His love is the most powerful thing in the world and He wants to give it to you, so you can live for Him. If you have made a commitment to follow Christ, then listen to Crazy Love to be reminded and challenged in your walk. Sharing from his own life struggles and sacrifices, author Francis Chan issues a call for selfless, Christ-like living. Let the love you have received from God impact your life like never before."

You can download the book here.

Do Schools Kill Creativity...?

One of the things I've loved about the past few summers, as I mentioned in a recent post, is the down time from classes to read books of various topics that my class schedule, not to mention work and life, don't always leave much room for.

As such, Mr. USPS just dropped off my box of goodies. There's just something about getting an Amazon box in the mail. It always makes me warm and fuzzy deep down inside. (Strange I know, but it's true).

One of the books bundled up is one that I've had in my "wishlist" for some time now eagerly waiting to purchase and read. It's Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative by Ken Robinson. Ken Robinson is an expert on creativity and education.

Below, is one of my favorite videos by Ken Robinson. In his presentation at TED, Sir Ken Robinson challenges the way we're educating our children. He presents ways in which our current educational systems actually "kill creativity," rather than nurture it. He champions a radical rethink of our school systems, to cultivate creativity and acknowledge multiple types of intelligence.

I think many of the principles embedded in this talk extend well beyond the range of childhood and school systems to the everyday fabrics of our lives, particularly to those who are parents and communicators, or simply human.

A Father with Imagination...

I love to play with my kids... 

...And, I do it ALOT! 

Obviously, some things are more fun than others, but I've discovered pretty much anything can become a blast, if I simply become fully-present in the moment, push pause on all the things that beg for me head-space, and release a little creative imagination...

Last week, I saw the movie Imagine That. From the moment I watched the preview, I was hooked. The movie is a great reminder of the significant influence that is present when a father is fully-present to the moments of life with his children, not to mention the power of creativity, imagination and communication. 

The following highlights a clip from the movie, along with a few father's day thoughts...

Drawn into the Story...

Two weeks ago I finished up my last class for the semester. The past nine-months of classes have been pretty reading intensive. Averaging about a book every week (sometimes two, if we're lucky), is quite a bit for me to keep up with.

As such, the past couple of years, I've come to look forward to the summer break in order to read the accumulating books on my have-not-yet-read shelf in my office. This week, as I traveled to Texas I picked up two books. One of them was from this shelf, the other was a lighter read from C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

On the plane, as I was reading, I was struck by one of the opening scenes. It's the scene where Eustace Scrubb and Lucy and Edmund Pevensive stare at a picture on a wall of a Narnian ship when suddenly the picture draws them into a whole new world.

Suddenly the picture on the wall comes alive and they begin to feel the breeze, smell the air, and hear sounds. The kids are magically drawn into the painting and find themselves in the waters, where they are helped into a boat with the enticing name The Dawn Treader. These kids, now in a new reality, travel to distant lands looking for the seven lost lords of Narnia. At the end of their adventures they find a lamb that turns into Aslan…

This is the sort of adventure with the bible that we are looking for, the adventure of staring at the Bible’s words on paper only to find ourselves drawn into the story itself.

The following is another favorite clip of my on this matter from the movie The Tale of Despaux.

Christ Plays in Ten-Thousand Places

Every month Christian Audio sponsors a free audio book download.

This month's feature is Christ Plays in Ten-Thousand Places by Eugene Peterson. Below is the sites write up on the book.

Christ Plays in Ten-Thousand Places reunites spirituality and theology in a cultural context where these two vital facets of Christian faith have been rent asunder. This foundational book, in a four-volume series on spiritual theology emerging from Peterson’s pen, provides the conceptual and directional help we all need to live the Christian gospel well and maturely in the conditions that prevail in the church and world today.